What Remains?: Life, Death and the Human Art of Undertaking

What Remains is a book by Ru Callender that explores his journey into becoming a punk undertaker, offering a more honest and authentic experience for people facing death. It is a blend of personal story, philosophy, and humor, inspiring and changing the way we think about life, death, and the human experience.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Co

In his book "What Remains?", Ru Callender offers a unique perspective on the world of death and bereavement. With a sharp, angry, punchily philosophical tone and a frequent sense of humor, he challenges traditional notions of what it means to die and offers a new lifestyle aspiration: the "deathstyle."

Callender's journey into the world of undertakers began with his own early experiences with grief. After losing his parents, he was dissatisfied with the stilted, formal funerals that were prevalent in the Victorian era. He sought to create a more honest and authentic experience for those who were grieving, combining his DIY ethos with the kinship and inspiration he found in rave culture, social outlaws, and political nonconformists.

Through his work, Callender has carried coffins across windswept beaches, sat in pubs with caskets on beer-stained tables, helped children fire flaming arrows into their fathers funeral pyre, turned modern occult rituals into performance art, and, with the band members of the KLF, is building the Peoples Pyramid of bony bricks in Liverpool. His mission is to create truly authentic experiences that celebrate those who are no longer here and those who remain.

"What Remains?" is a great work of craft and beauty, according to Salena Godden. It is a moving revelation, funny, demystifying, but mostly deeply moving. Kathy Burke, an actor and director, praised the book for its compelling personal story of a pioneering punk undertaker. John Higgs, author of "William Blake vs the World," described it as inspiring and unforgettable.

Callender's book challenges the way we think about life, death, and the human experience. It is radical, poignant, unflinchingly real, and laugh-aloud funny. It will change the way you think about these important subjects and inspire you to embrace life to the fullest.

Weight: 478g
Dimension: 163 x 235 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781645020509